to not understand how someone brought up...

[NickNemo]

... in an unbelievably privileged environment and who is currently living a lifestyle that is far beyond the means of the everyday man-on-street, can even begin to understand what people who can barely make ends meet go through in real life?

I am talking about you, David Cameron!

AIBU? I probably am!

Here here. YANBU

Then why pose the question if you think you ABU?

Well I don't think you are! But he's sure having a go at looking like he does.

WetAugust, because I didn't want to be seen as slagging him off. I am not, just genuinely curious.

The more I read about him, the more distant he seems to me, in every way, socially, financially, ideologically. Yet, he is the man who is well likely to be leading our country in the near future.

So I just want to know if its just me being unreasonable about it.

I think you are being unreasonable. We all only can stand in our own shoes... doesn't mean that with a bit of intelligence, empathy, and the will to make a difference in this world we can't consider the position of others.

Policies aside, I think to write somebody off because of their upbringing is entirely unreasonable, and prejudiced in fact.

I agree with Mrs Mellowdrummer. I wonder why reverse snobbery is somehow seen as acceptable.

YANBU.

I am not being a snob, reverse or otherwise. I am wondering if it is possible for someone who is living quite a privileged life, a life many of us can only dream of, is able to empathise with the life that most people in the country lead.

Cameron's policies on several issues that affect them do not seem to indicate to me that he feels this empathy, IYSWIM.

Which issues are you talking about NickNemo?

With some thight, I think YABU.

I don't think Bob Geldof has ever starved, but he could empathise with a starving nation and do something about it.

I don't think it is beyond Cameron to be able to imagine what it is like for people who struggle financially.

I won't be voting for him though.

thight? thought!

YABU.

Its possible to empathise with people without necessarily having been in the exact same situation.

He has also had some pretty hard stuff to deal with.

I'm with MrsMellowdrummer too. WE vote for these people. One person doesn't get to make all the decisions. The UK is supposedly a democracy. David Cameron might be posh but hey does it make a difference in the end?

What makes you think that anyone in the Labour or Lib Dem camp has any idea what 'real life' is like?

Labour politicians have been known to lead the life you describe and come from similar backgrounds.

I think that it matters that David Cameron is posh. You can be working class, or unemployed, or middle class, and still have an understanding of the lives of other people because you have been brought up alongside, and often educated with, people from all different walks of life.

This does not seem to be the case with David Cameron; he seems to have come from a background where everyone is very similar to him.

The reason he will have to imagine what the experiences of a diverse country are like is because he has no real experience of knowing a diverse group of people.

But people will vote him in if there are other flaws in the alternative candidates.

But how do you know that?

Are you privy to David Cameron's social circle?

aren't all politicans similar in this respct ? - so YANBU possibly a bit, but otoh, singling out DC in particular is a little U.

i wouldn't presume that because they have a certain background they lack imagination.

think you're probably being a bit unfair on David cameron millyr. I don't see why being from a (very) privileged background makes him any more unlikely to have some knowledge and experience of how other people live than being from a middle class or very impoverished background. Everyone has limited life experience. It's impossible not to.

Apart from anything else, his sick child was treated in the NHS and through that experience he'll certainly have come across and interacted with a wide spectrum of society. Disability and sickness are not class-specific.

I don't really know why I'm 'defending' DC, other than it just seems unfair.

think you're probably being a bit unfair on David cameron millyr. I don't see why being from a (very) privileged background makes him any more unlikely to have some knowledge and experience of how other people live than being from a middle class or very impoverished background. Everyone has limited life experience. It's impossible not to.

Apart from anything else, his sick child was treated in the NHS and through that experience he'll certainly have come across and interacted with a wide spectrum of society. Disability and sickness are not class-specific.

I don't really know why I'm 'defending' DC, other than it just seems unfair.

you just need to look at him to see he is wealthy. he's not for single parents at all either. very old fashioned values...not keeping up with the times at all.. I'm sure if he had his way all benefits would be abolished and all these young scallywags/layabouts would be doing their national service rather than dossing around...

I'm sure as a person he's lovely, but find it hard to believe he appreciates what many families are going through right now with financial strain, job losses etc. Do you think DC has ever lived on beans on toast for a few months? no don't be silly.

Thing is, the government is supposed to govern the entire country. That includes the extremely privileged as much as it does the barely scraping by (or not managing to scrape by). So knowing what it's like to feed the kids beans for weeks isn't going to guarantee someone will be a good politician. Also, you don't have to have been in that situation in order to understand that it truly sucks.